In particular, the invention finds application to advantage in the art field of packaging, and more specifically of fashioning individual wraps around confectionery products such as chocolates and sweets and the like.
The prior art embraces packaging methods whereby wraps of the familiar double twist type are fashioned from leaves of wrapping material, each presenting a substantially rectangular outline. The single leaves are cut transversely from a continuous strip of the selected material.
The product is placed at the centre of the leaf, and the leaf then bent around the product to bring the longitudinal edges together, thus forming a tube, whereupon the two ends of the tube are twisted to produce the characteristic wrap with two wings.
To open a wrap of this kind, the consumer seizes and pulls the two ends, causing the wings to unravel and free the contents.
The prior art also includes wraps of which the longitudinal edges and the twisted ends are coated with adhesive material, serving to seal the contents more effectively.
More exactly, and as disclosed in PCT publication WO 97/24273, these wraps are obtained by applying two continuous bands of adhesive material to the edges of the continuous strip, extending longitudinally along its entire length. In addition, the strip presents a plurality of bands of the adhesive material extending transversely to the longitudinal dimension and spaced apart one from the next. The strip is cut along each transverse band of adhesive material to generate a plurality of single leaves, each presenting bands of adhesive material around its peripheral outline.
The product is then wrapped by joining together the bands of adhesive along the longitudinal edges and twisting the ends in such a way as to pinch the transverse bands of adhesive. Thus, the adhesive bands provide a tighter seal and a firmer closure of the product internally of the wrap.
A wrap of this type betrays the notable drawback of being difficult to open in order to consume the product. Formerly, without adhesive, the wrap could be opened by pulling the twisted ends in opposite directions, but with the wings pinched and stuck, they can no longer unravel freely as before.
To overcome this drawback, the joined longitudinal edges of double twist wrapper leaves can be provided with a notch (see EP 816229, for example) serving to facilitate the step of opening the wrap. Pulling from the edges on either side of the notch, the wrap is torn along a line generated by the selfsame notch.
The notch is produced in the assembled wrap by a special device (generally a wheel) that carries each of the single wraps into a position of interaction with a cutter, whereupon the cutter makes an incision in the joined longitudinal edges.
This solution also presents a significant drawback, however, attributable to the excessive bulk of the notching device.
To make a single notch, in effect, the longitudinal edges must be cut when already joined together, and this can be done only by conveying each single wrap into contact with the cutter after it has been closed around the product. Generally speaking, the notching device consists in a wheel carrying a plurality of grippers by which the assembled wraps are taken up and advanced toward the cutter. The wheel takes up considerable space and the process of fashioning the single wraps is made complex and laborious precisely by reason of the need to carry each one toward the notching cutter. Consequently, the cost of producing the single wrap is increased.
Moreover, in the event that the longitudinal edges are not joined neatly together, the cutter can enter into contact with the product and tear parts of the wrap intended specifically to keep the product enclosed.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks indicated above by adopting a method of making wraps for small items, a leaf from which to fashion the wrap obtainable by such a method, and a relative strip of wrapping material, all as described and illustrated in the present disclosure.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of making product wraps that will be easy to implement and can be performed without the need for complex and bulky wrapping devices.
A further object of the invention is to fashion an easily openable sealed wrap procured initially as a leaf of wrapping material cut from a continuous strip and requiring no additional preparation.